Various systems are known for supporting loads on roofs, and for installing skylights and/or smoke vents onto or into roofs.
The present invention relates to skylights and other inserts which are mounted onto or into roofs which use multiple elongate metal roof panels as the exterior roof elements.
Commonly used skylighting systems have translucent or transparent closure members, also known as lenses, mounted on a support structure which extends through an opening in the roof and which is mounted to building framing members inside the building. Ambient daylight passes through such lens and thence through the roof aperture and into the building.
Such conventional skylight and smoke vent installations use structure beneath the exterior roofing panels and inside the building enclosure, in order to support a curb, as the support structure, which extends through the roof, which curb supports the skylight lens. Such conventional skylight curbs, thus, are generally in the form of a preassembled box structure surrounding an opening which extends from the top of the box structure to the bottom of the box structure. Such box structure is mounted, directly or indirectly, to building framing members inside the building enclosure, and extends through a respective opening in the roof, which roof aperture is similar in size and shape to the opening which extends through the box structure. The skylight assembly thus mounts inside the building enclosure, and extends through an opening in a separately mounted roof structure. All known such conventional structures have a tendency to leak water when subjected to rain or melting snow.
In another known skylight structure, an elongate translucent panel/lens is assembled to a metal roof panel which otherwise defines a portion of a standing seam roof. Such metal roof panels are traditionally available in 40 foot lengths. In such skylight structure, a 10-foot section of the metal in the panel flat area of the metal roof panel is removed, creating an aperture in the roof panel, and such metal section is replaced with a fiberglass-reinforced polymeric, translucent panel/lens which transmits light. Such translucent panel has an upper end disposed toward the roof ridge and a lower end disposed toward the roof eaves and is bordered by remaining metal portions of the panel flat of the roof panel at such upper and lower ends. The translucent panel is also bordered on its sides by the upstanding ribs of the metal roof panel. Thus the translucent panel is an insert into an aperture cut into an otherwise-conventional metal roof panel. Such insert is bordered on all sides by the metal of the roof panel which borders the aperture. Overlapping portions of the roof panel metal and the translucent panel are screwed or riveted or otherwise fastened together so as to provide, in combination with tube sealant, a closed and sealed boundary, both at the upper and lower ends of the translucent panel, and along opposing elongate sides of the translucent panel, between the translucent panel and the surrounding roof panel metal. Thus, in such structure, the translucent panel is completely contained within the boundaries of a single metal roof panel; and screws or rivets extend through both the translucent panel and the bordering roof panel metal about, the entire perimeter of the translucent panel, such screws or rivets typically being about 1-3 inches from the edge of the aperture. Thus there are holes through the roof panel metal, to receive such screws or rivets, about the entire perimeter of the translucent panel.
In filling a 10-foot long opening, such translucent panel is 11 feet long in order to provide for a 6-inch overlap with the roof panel metal in the panel flat area of the roof panel at both the up-slope and down-slope ends of the translucent panel. In such assembly, the overlap extends beyond both the upper end and the lower end of the 10-foot opening in the roof panel metal.
In a more recent development, a skylight/smoke vent system is contained within the width of a single metal roof panel in a standing seam roof, where the skylight assembly is mounted on, and supported primarily, or solely, by the ribs of the standing seam roof system, such that the skylight/smoke vent system completely surrounds, and extends above, the aperture, in the roof, and can expand and contract in accord with ambient outside temperature changes, along with the expansion and contraction of the roof panels. Such skylight/smoke vent systems substantially reduce the incidence of the leakage issue associated with skylights in the metal building industry. Such recently-developed skylight systems, and the roof and buildings into which they are incorporated, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,438,798, 8,438,799, 8,438,800, 8,438,801, 8,561,364, and 8,567,136, the disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In a continuation of the more recent development addressed immediately above, the industry has recognized a desire to replace conventional translucent panels, in the panel flat areas of the roof panels, which are rivet-mounted or screw-mounted about the aperture in the roof panel on already existing buildings, with the more recently-developed skylight assemblies which are mounted on the roof panel ribs. The motivation to replace such in-the-flat translucent panels is driven by the reduced incidence of leakage as well as by potentially greater light transmission through the skylight panel. However, such replacement must address certain legacy issues in order to assure that the replacement skylight systems can be properly sealed against water leakage.
A first issue concerns the screw-mounting holes or rivet-mounting holes which are left about the aperture in the roof panel metal when the in-the-flat panel is removed.
A second issue relates to the screws, the ends of which extend through the roof panel metal and into the building enclosure when the replacement skylight assembly is mounted about/over the aperture.
Addressing the first issue, the replacement assembly must seal, and prevent water leakage through, all of the holes, in the roof panel metal, which holes are used to secure in place the in-the-flat panel which is being replaced.
Addressing the second issue, the positioning of the replacement skylight assembly along the length of the respective roof panel must be such that the screws and/or rivets used to mount the replacement skylight assembly to the roof panel do not overlap any of the roof purlins.
Accordingly, some one or more elements of the skylight assembly must accommodate covering and sealing the previously-used screw/rivet holes while also accommodating keeping the newly-installed screws/rivets, used to mount the replacement skylight assembly, spaced from any and all of the adjacent roof purlins.
It would thus be desirable to provide a skylight assembly which covers and seals the previously-used screw/rivet holes while also keeping the newly-installed screws/rivets, used to mount the replacement skylight assembly, away from any and all of the roof purlins.
It would also be desirable to provide a method of replacing a skylight-type panel, which is mounted primarily in the panel flat of the roof panel, with a skylight assembly which is mounted primarily to, and supported primarily by, the metal roof panel ribs.